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Samaritanism is the Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion of the Samaritan people, an ethnoreligious group who, alongside Jews, originate from the ancient Israelites. Its central holy text is the Samaritan Pentateuch, which Samaritans believe is the original, unchanged version of the Torah.

Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Most Jews would not travel through Samaria. They went by a longer route to avoid Samaria and any contact with Samaritans. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan after he had been asked by a Jewish man: “What must I do to receive eternal life?”

A Samaritan Pentateuch, dating from the 14th century.

They were persecuted and killed for practicing their ancient faith by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans. By 1919, there were only 141 Samaritans left. Today they number more than 800, with half living in Holon (south of Tel Aviv) and the other half on the mountain.

Today, only about 800 Samaritans remain, divided among four broad families, spread between Mount Gerizim in the heart of Palestinian territory and the Israeli city of Holon. With men making up many of its remaining members, this cloistered community must now rely on women from the outside world for its survival.

Among the most significant differences between the Samaritans and the Jews is the site which they believe God chose for his dwelling. While the Jews hold that God chose Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Samaritans believe he chose Mount Gerizim near Shechem.

The Samaritans believe that, since more than 3600 years ago, they came to live on Mount Gerizim because Moses, in his tenth commandment, ordered them to protect it as a sacred mountain and worship on it by making pilgrimages to it three times a year.